One of the Zoo’s former pandas… the new bears debut this weekend!
Happy Weekend!
Quick links to go-to KFDC posts:
* The Great Indoors
* Off-the-Beaten-Path Museums
* Kid-Friendly Dining
* Best Outdoors in the DC Area
* Local Hikes with Kids
* Bike Rides
* Stunning Spaces
* Peaceful Places
District of Panda Party
Where: National Zoo | Woodley Park, DC
When: Starting Friday thru February 9
Admission: Free with timed-tickets
New giant pandas Bao Li and Qin Bao are making their debut, and the National Zoo is celebrating with a two-week long party that will include special family-friendly activities along with panda viewing. Admission to the Zoo is free with timed entry tickets, so be sure to reserve yours before you go to guarantee entry.
PANDAmonium
Where: National Harbor | Oxon Hill, MD
When: Through February 28
Admission: Free
National Harbor is also celebrating Bao Li and Qing Bao with extra fun and deals at National Harbor. Various retailers and restaurants will have everything from sweet treat specials to must-have retail promotions — details here. Read more about National Harbor in this KFDC post.
Monster Jam
Where: Capital One Arena | Downtown DC
When: Friday, 7pm | Saturday & Sunday, 1pm & 7pm
Tickets: $20+
The world’s largest and most famous monster truck tour featuring the biggest names in monster trucks will thunder its way back into DC. Gravedigger, El Toro Loco, Megolodon, Thunder-ROAR-us, Just Get-Er-Done, Monster Mutt Dalmation, Ramminator, and Rammunition are among the vehicular beasts that will be tearing up the indoor terrain this year.
Winter Blast: A Family Day of Native Games
Where: American Indian Museum | National Mall, DC
When: Saturday, 10am – 5:30pm
Admission: Free
This family-friendly event celebrates Indigenous games from the Arctic to Argentina. Learn to play Native games from across the hemisphere in celebration of winter. Museum staff will also engage visitors in various string games from across the Western Hemisphere, as well as a craft activity in which participants create a game based off the Penobscot ball and triangle game in the museum’s collection to take home.
Open Studio: Make a Statement
Where: Hirshhorn Museum | National Mall, DC
When: Saturday, 10am – 1pm
Admission: Free
In this session of the Hirshhorn’s weekly program, explore how artists use their art to respond to the world and inspire positive change. Inspired by Loïs Mailou Jones’s Challenge—America, create your own work of art assembling a collage using magazines, newspapers, and other found objects. What message do you want to share with the world?
Paper Dreams
Where: Imagination Stage | Bethesda, MD
When: Saturday & Sunday, 10am & 11:30am
Tickets: $22.50
This charming and dreamy dance-based performance for little ones imagines two friends who live inside a wastepaper basket! Together they discover what imaginative ideas might unfold from a crumpled piece of paper–can mistakes inspire our greatest ideas? Because the show is non-verbal, it can be enjoyed by people speaking all languages and of any age.
Bike Ride + Ice Skating
Where: Around Capitol Hill & Canal Park | Navy Yard
When: Saturday, 10:30am – 12:30pm
Admission: free/bike ride, $13/skating
Join Hill Family Biking for a 3.5-mile bike ride from Maury Elementary to Canal Park Ice Rink for the 12pm skating session. They’ve negotiated a special non-profit group rate at $13 for skating and skate rental (usually $18-$21) that you pay directly to the rink upon arrival. We’ll be joining the 12pm skating session. Hot chocolate and cookies by La Dinette will be provided while you lace up along with hand warmers while you skate.
More Places Ice It
Where: Ice rinks around the area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by rink
There are even more places to skate the day (and night) away around the area. And temps might be a little warmer than they’ve been — but bundling up still recommended. This post has the scoop on all of them — indoor venues, too — including bonus activities while you’re there.
DC Transit Day
Where: National Capital Trolley Museum | Colesville, MD
When: Saturday, 11-4pm
Admission: $10.75/kids, $12.75/adults
Celebrate street car history in the DC area! The Trolley Museum is commemorating the 63rd Anniversary of the last day of streetcar service in the Nation’s Capital, January 28, 1962, with displays by Metro, DC Streetcar, and the Purple Line; videos; model trains by Maryland TTrackers,;Trolley Museum archive displays; and rides on DC Transit 1101.
Family Workshop
Where: Folger Theatre | Capitol Hill, DC
When: Saturday, 11:30am & 1pm
Admission: Free
The Folger invites families to join us once a month for workshops on the world of Shakespeare and beyond! There are two sessions available with recommended ages: 11:30am–12:30pm (ages 4-7) and 1–2pm (ages 8-14). Register in advance. Read more about the Folger here.
Family Workshop: The Peacock Room
Where: National Museum of Asian Art | National Mall, DC
When: Saturday, 11am-12:30pm & 1:30-3pm
Admission: Free
In this Art & Me workshop geared toward ages 3-8, kids will take a tour of the Asian Art Museum’s famous Peacock Room, which is full of precious large pieces, then learn from Smithsonian conservators how to safely move and care for large-scale artworks. They’ll then put that into practice and have fun creating and moving their own works.
Tina – The Tina Turner Musical
Where: National Theatre | Downtown DC
When: Friday, 7:30pm | Saturday & Sunday, 2pm & 7:30pm
Tickets: $51-139 (find discount)
An uplifting comeback story like no other, TINA – The Tina Turner Musical is the inspiring journey of a woman who broke barriers and became the Queen of Rock n’ Roll. Set to the pulse-pounding soundtrack of her most beloved hits, this electrifying sensation will send you soaring to the rafters.
What the Constitution Means To Me
Where: Round House Theatre | Bethesda, MD
When: Fri, 8pm | Sat, 2pm & 8pm | Sun, 2pm
Tickets: $50-89
As a teenager, Heidi Schreck traveled across America, earning her college tuition by winning constitutional debate competitions. Now, as an Obie Award-winning playwright, she takes a closer look at the Constitution and its effects on four generations of women in her family. What the Constitution Means to Me is a profoundly personal look at our nation’s most debated document and how it could evolve to fit our modern times. Recommended for teens and older.
Lunar New Year Celebration
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom DC
When: Saturday, 6pm (tickets available at 4:30pm)
Admission: Free
At this Millennium Stage session, prepare to welcome the Year of the Snake with lion dancing and musical performances. The event will also feature Stephanie Chou, a Chinese American jazz composer, saxophonist, and singer. Remaining Standing Room Only tickets will be available day-of at 4:30pm.
NCAA Bball
Where: Colleges around the DC Area
When: Throughout the weekend
Admission: Varies by game
We’re in the thick of college basketball season. And with so many universities in the area, there’s always some good hoops action going on around town. Here are some games to catch this weekend:
* Maryland women vs UCLA on Saturday at 2pm (Go, Terps!)
* GW men vs St. Louis on Saturday at 2pm
* Catholic women vs Wilkes on Saturday at 2pm
* George Mason women vs GW on Saturday at 3pm
* Catholic men vs Wilkes on Saturday at 4pm
* American men vs Colgate on Saturday at 4pm
Building Readers Club
Where: National Building Museum | Judiciary Square, DC
When: Sunday, 10am – 12pm
Admission: Free
Join the Building Readers Club for a Scale Adventure! Explore how scale and size impact the world we design and build. With hands-on activities, creative crafts, stories, and more, participants will discover just how big (or small) the world can be! If kids are not signed up for the Club already, register here for free. The program is designed for children 10 and under + caregivers.
The People’s Holiday: A Love of Literacy
Where: NMAAHC | National Mall, DC
When: Sunday, 11am
Admission: Free, but be sure to RSVP
The National Museum of African American History & Culture is celebrating MLK Day late because of the inauguration. At this special Community Day, there will be a service project to make literacy packets for pre-readers across DC. Learn about the power of the thank you note — and be encouraged to write one with a fountain pen. Using the prose of Dr. King and others, attendees can create a poetry collage. Plan to explore the museum, too, for an insightful and enriching experience. Be sure to read the KFDC Guide to visiting the museum with kids before you go.
Petting Zoo Hosts Kids & Family Festival
Where: Shipgarten | Tyson, VA
When: Sunday, 12-6pm
Admission: Free
Bring the whole gang for an afternoon of family-friendly fun. Little ones can enjoy free face painting and arts & crafts, a magic show and balloon animals, and a fun & furry petty zoo experience. Plus, there will be live music, drinks, and more for adults. Dogs are more than welcome, too.
Commanders Watch
Where: Around the DC area
When: Sunday, 3pm
Admission: Free (but plan to spend on food/drinks)
Huge game for the Commanders on Sunday as they play the Eagles in the NFC CHampsionship. If you want to get out of the house to watch with fellow and sister fans, several places around the area are showing the game and offering food and drinks specials. This article has a round-up of them, and some of the places are family-friendly.
***MORE GOOD STUFF***
* Washingtonian just published the annual list of DC’s 100 Very Best Restaurants.
* Perfect timing for Metropolitan Washington Winter Restaurant Week starting on Monday, January 27, and running through February 2.
* How about some extra treats with your ice skating? This Friday from 4:30-7:30pm at Canal Park Ice Rink, Roda, the concierge car maintenance service, will be offering free hot chocolate and hand warmers to skaters.
* There are some bands coming to local venues that t(w)eens would enjoy seeing (Beach Bunny was one that caught my eye.) Read about a KFDC t(w)een concert experience.
* It’s a good time to prep for Valentine’s Day… how cute are these cards for classmates? Or these that come with little building kits? Or these fun plushies?
* If you don’t have a Costco membership but want one, Groupon has a deal on the Gold Star Membership package right now.
* An OpEd on the TikTok ban — written by a teen.
* 10 Happy Things for January 💙
